


Fears

by imapython



Category: Rooster Teeth, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF, rt hybrid au - Fandom
Genre: Hybrid AU, Panic Attacks, Rooster Teeth - Freeform, achievement hunter - Freeform, rt hybrid AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-23
Updated: 2014-07-23
Packaged: 2018-02-10 01:48:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2006397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imapython/pseuds/imapython
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray never really minded being part rabbit. Hell, he'd sometimes go so far as to say he preferred it over being human. Unfortunately, there's caveats to everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fears

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea floating around in my head and then the wifi got knocked out so I started and yeah

For the most part, Ray was content being a rabbit hybrid. He liked being able to hear conversations through walls, and he enjoyed being able to smell a meal from rooms away. He could run faster and jump higher and, hell, he didn’t even really mind his newfangled taste for fruits and veggies.

But, as with all things, there were aspects he was less excited about. For example, his ears.

It wasn’t like he hated them, he just didn’t like their stature; large and in the way and unable to be held beneath a beanie for more than five minutes.

And although he liked being able to smell things from faraway distances, he hated the impulsive twitches of his nose, catching scents from all directions and often steering his focus away from the task at hand. Plus, if one of the guys ripped one, he was always the first to smell it.

And his legs, his fucking legs and feet; they couldn’t stay still. Being able to jog to and from work was one thing, but always itching to go for a run or exercise was starting to make him go insane. It wasn’t like he could just leave in the middle of the day for a run, even if it was desperately needed. It had even gotten to the point where he was playing most of his games while standing at his desk.

And ever since his full transformation had completed, he had been getting more and more jumpy and anxious, often leading to panic attacks. When he was fully human, they would only hit when he was really overwhelmed or scared, maybe once every few months. But now?

With his newfound gut feelings and an increased sense of paranoia, they had been occurring more often, sometimes without a trigger. By this point, having a 7-minute panic attack at least once a week was to be expected.

The worst of these, however, were his instincts; vibes he would get that were inevitably correct and incessantly irritating. He could tell when something was about to fall, he could tell when someone was just around the corner waiting to jump and scare someone else, he could tell a car was about to swerve before the driver even acted. He could estimate what people were going to say before they said it, he could guess their next moves with impeccable accuracy, and for the most part, he was able to tell when something was wrong or just about to be.

With his new ability, he could tell when he was about to get a panic attack. Helpful, one would think, as surely that’s something he would utilize.

But those goddamn storms.

Ray’s fear of thunder and lightning was one that was easily hidden and ignored before all this madness happened. The only people who really knew about it were Michael, Geoff, and Tina, all of whom had helped him on previous occasions. Thunder and lightning usually drew on panic attacks, and when he was human, he was usually able to calm himself down enough to continue on normally. However, the panic attacks were getting worse with each storm, and Ray was reaching his limit.

Those fucking thunderstorms.

The blinding flashes of lightning, the soul-crushing booms of the thunder that inevitably followed, the relentless pattering of rain being thrown against the windows of his apartment; every detail of thunderstorms made him anxious. Whenever his apartment lost power, he huddled in his bed until the lights flashed back on. If it happened at the office, he would hide in the office until it passed. The high water levels left in the storm’s wake left Ray feeling on edge, constantly worrying about possible flooding.

Panic attacks were one thing, his fear was another. Occasionally, they crossed paths, but it had never been this bad, never this strong.

Honestly, Ray had never been more scared in his life.

~  


Gavin and Michael had just entered the room when Ray first felt it, the unwelcome twinge in his gut telling him what was on its way. Immediately, he stands up from his desk and heads to the front door, disregarding the confused glances and calls he receives. Outside, he looks up to the sky, eyes squinting against the bright, burning sun.

“Ray?” Jack calls from behind him. “Everything okay?”

“There’s gonna be a thunderstorm,” Ray cracks out without turning.

The lion hybrid walks over and stands next to Ray, shading his eyes with his hand and looking up in the same direction. “You sure? It doesn’t look like it."

“Just trust me,” Ray says, turning and going back inside.

The self-proclaimed Vav speaks up loud and clear upon the entrance of his faux-superpal. “X-Ray! Everything alright?”

 _Take a deep breath_ , Ray thinks as loud as possible to himself. _Breathe. It’s just a little rain. Breathe. Nothing to worry about. Breathe._ Without meaning to, he begins pacing back and forth in the middle of the room, eyes plastered to the floor and hands pulling at his ears.

Michael’s ears and tail twitch, instinctively knowing that something isn’t right with his friend. To confirm his thoughts, he leaves the room without a word and exits the building, eyes cast toward the sky. Almost instantly, the humidity in the air weighs down his tail and ears. Now confident that he was right, Michael returns to the Achievement Hunter office, where in the small amount of time he was gone a few other people have gathered. Doing his best to remain calm and quiet, he works his way through the mess of tails and fur to where Ray is still pacing in the center of the room.

Before confronting his clearly distressed friend, Michael motions for Gavin to come to him. He obliges, and when he’s closer, asks, “Micool, do you know what’s wrong with ‘im? I’ve never seen ‘im so antsy. Is everything okay?” His wings are raised and slightly ruffled in an expression that Michael can only assume is concern.

Ignoring his questions, Michael says, “Do us a favor and get everyone else to scram. Ray needs space.”

Incessant, Gav pushes on, wanting an answer to his question. “Why? Micool, what’s wrong?”

Michael tears his eyes from Ray to glare menacingly at Gavin. “There’s a thunderstorm coming, and I think he’s having a panic attack. Get everyone out of here, now.”

With the words “panic attack”, Gavin takes on a cautious air about him. Using his wings to draw the others out of the room, he mumbles the situation to them, cutting quick glances to the two behind him. Moments later, the only people left in the room are Michael and Ray, the latter of which continues to pace and mumble a mess of reassuring words to himself.

“Ray?” Michael says quietly, stepping slowly toward his panicking friend.

Ray wavers slightly in his steps but continues walking, albeit at a slower and more deliberate rate.

“Listen to me, buddy. Hey…”

Michael has now positioned himself in front of Ray, his hands raised in front of him in an almost defensive gesture. When he notices, Ray slows to a stop and releases his ears, staring at his own hands. Now free of their ravenous grip, his ears return to their comfortable upright position. A few seconds pass and he places his palms to Michael’s, something they do whenever a situation such as this arises. When Michael had tried it the first time Ray had a panic attack in front of him, he had no idea it would actually help. Luckily, it did, and it has since become their go-to comfort gesture.

“Deep breaths, Ray, c’mon, breathe with me.”

Through his hands, Michael can feel the light rhythm of Ray’s pulse. Still racing… he thinks to himself, trying to formulate a way to help his friend.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees one of Ray’s ears twitch and turn towards the door, and before he’s able to act against it, an ear-shattering boom of thunder rumbles overhead, causing Ray to jolt and let out a mix between a squeak and a yelp. He bolts out of the room faster than Michael thought possible, and by the time Michael gets to the door, blood pumping and mind racing, Ray is nowhere to be found. The lights lining the ceiling flicker out, leaving the building almost pitch-black. The distinct sounds of people fumbling for flashlights rise around him, undoubtedly from his fellow coworkers. Fortunately for Michael, his eyes are well equipped to deal with darkness, and after a few seconds of automatic adjustments, he begins searching for his friend.

While wandering through the halls, Michael is joined by Geoff, who alerts him that people are going to be meeting at the podcast set.

“Gavin told me you’re looking for Ray, so when you find him, just text me or something.”

Michael nods and Geoff ducks into a nearby hall, leaving Michael to continue his search. He weaves his way in and out of various offices, but most of them are empty. “God damn it,” he swears under his breath as he exits another room. The building is still pretty new to him and, though he’s had ample opportunity to, he hasn’t yet explored more than the paths necessary for day-to-day use. From the Achievement Hunter office, he can only really make his way to the bathroom, the podcast room, and the kitchen. Needless to say, his sense of direction isn’t as sharp as he expected it to be by this point. Knowing Ray as he does, his first instinct is to find a small closet or something that he’d be able to hide in, but he can’t for the life of him figure out where one such room would be.

Working through the darkness of the building, Michael does his best to keep his breathing low, so he can hear any movement coming from other people. Around the corner, he hears constant repetitive clicking, and it only takes him a moment to figure out who’s causing it. “Caleb!” he calls out, jogging lightly towards the sound of his voice.

Caleb’s head rounds the corner, followed shortly by a bright beam of light. Michael shields his eyes from the sudden brightness, squinting and walking towards its origin. Around the Border collie hybrid are the pets of Rooster Teeth, save for Joe the cat. As he gets closer, Michael hears Caleb sigh and sees his ears perk up slightly. “Michael, Jesus. You scared the shit out of me. What’s up?”

“Have you seen Ray?” Michael asks, voice urgent and fraught with distress.

“No, why? What happened?”

“He ran off after a clap of thunder and I don’t know where he went. He’s having a panic attack because of the storm and I need to find him and—” Michael starts rambling, frantic words spilling from his mouth in an unintelligible jumble of concerned confusion.

The pets sit patiently behind Caleb as he hears Michael out. “I’m sorry, I don’t know. Maybe Joel would be able to help? He’s part ferret, and that’s kinda the same as a rabbit… He might have an idea where Ray would go.”

Michael shakes his head. “I need to find him like, now. If I take too long looking for him, he might hurt himself or hyperventilate or, fuckin’ I dunno, something.”

Something in the air catches Watson’s attention for a moment, and he sniffs a few times before standing and following it. Once Caleb notices, he swears and starts calling for him. “Watson, come. Watson! Dude, c’mon!” As Caleb goes to follow him, he’s cut off by Michael’s arm across his chest.

“I’ll get him, don’t worry about it. Do me a favor and tell Geoff that I’m still looking for Ray.”

Caleb nods and heads off, the sound of various paws click-clacking against the floor following him.

Meanwhile, Michael follows Watson eagerly, silently hoping that he’s caught scent of Ray. After a few twists and turns through the halls, the puppy pushes his nose up against a door.

“What is it, boy?” Michael asks. “Is he inside?” All he’s met with in response is a pair of excited mismatched eyes looking up at him and a low whimper.

Tail twitching, Michael gingerly grabs the knob of the door and twists it, revealing an incredibly small room that seems twice as dark as the rest of the building, if that’s even possible. Watson trots in, nose to the ground, and Michael waits a moment for his eyes to adjust before following him. Stepping into the room, another rush of thunder rolls overhead, and as it hits, Michael hears a faint yet distinct gasp from the corner of the room. Before he’s able to react, Watson’s at the source of the sound. Through the darkness, Michael can hardly make out the silhouette of someone huddled in the corner of the room. “Ray? Is that you?”  


“Michael?”

With that one word, all of the tension in Michael’s body leaves in one exhalation of a held breath. Thank Christ.

Michael crouches down and sits across from Ray, leaning his back against the wall. “Hey bud. You feeling alright?”

Ray’s chin is sitting atop his knees, his arms wrapped around them for further compression. Watson has sat himself by Michael’s feet, and is resting his head against Ray’s right arm. He doesn’t look up or move from where he is, instead continuing to stare aimlessly at the floor directly in front of him.

Michael gently places his hand on Ray’s knee. “Everything’s gonna be alright, dude. The storm will pass over in about twenty minutes. Think you can make it that much longer?”

Ray blinks once, then twice, then three times. He nods slightly, shifting his gaze to where Watson’s head is laying on his arm. He inhales deeply, and after a moment of calm, releases the air. “Yeah.”

Michael smiles slightly and nods back, digging around in his pockets. Eventually, he pulls out his phone, and clicks it on, the bright glow of the screen nearly blinding him. He does his best to refrain from shouting and swearing for Ray’s sake, and quickly turns the brightness as low as possible. Flipping through his contacts, he taps on the one labeled “Bird Brain” and opens a new message: _i found ray. we’re in some storage closet, i think we’re gonna wait it out here. we’ve got watson with us too._

He hits send, and about a minute later, receives a response: _sounds good. everyone’s accounted for minus you two, so we’re all set. storm should pass in like 15 mins_

Another one quickly follows: _goeff says to try and help x-ray breathe. its supposed to help or something_

Michael rolls his eyes but doesn’t respond to the message. As if he doesn’t already know how to help his friend in this situation.

“Hey Ray,” Michael whispers, “number game?”

Even with a shroud of black encasing them, Michael can see the smile that works its way onto Ray’s face.

A smile slipping onto his own face, Michael decides to start, “One bag of dicks for Gus to eat.”

Ray shifts around a bit, and after a pause whispers, “Two times Gavin tripped down the stairs.”

Michael chuckles. “Three bets that Geoff lost.”

“Four flat tires on Burnie’s car.”

And so on they went through the darkness of the bathroom, both of them doing their best to ignore the incessant darkness and low rumbles. After what was later determined as 23 minutes, the fluorescent bulbs above the pair flicker on.

Michael stands up and opens the door again, and Watson immediately dashes out, surely to find his way back to either Caleb or Miles. Ray, now visibly more at ease and comfortable, stretches his legs out against the floor and sighs. “Thanks, man,” he groans, picking himself off the ground.

“No probs.”

“No dude, seriously. Thank you. Sometimes I’m just an idiot and I let these things get the best of me and—”

Michael turns to his best friend with a shrug and a smile. “Dude. Ray. C’mon. Shut the fuck up. You’re not dumb, and it’s not like you can control it. I’m here to help when I can.”

The rabbit hybrid smiles and nods, ears perking back up to their full height.

The pair of friends step out of the room and look around the hall they’re in. “Dude,” Michael asks, tail swishing in the air, “do you know where we are?”

Ray laughs, ears twitching to catch any sounds coming from around the building. “Not a fucking clue.”


End file.
